Gouverneur 2024

Six gold medals from eight events defined a remarkable display of solving prowess at Saint James Parochial School. The one-day tournament brought 27 competitors together on July 13, 2024, across 12 fast-paced rounds of speedcubing action in Gouverneur, New York, USA. Dominating both small puzzles and giant layers, Evan Liu turned the gathering into a personal masterclass, leaving little room at the top of the standings throughout the intense Saturday schedule.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest served as the centerpiece of the tournament, featuring a competitive field across three rigorous stages. When the final 3x3 results were tallied, Liu captured the title with a winning average of 7.71 seconds, backed by the day's best single solve of 6.01 seconds. Curtis Chai pushed the pace to take second place on an 8.01 average, while Charles Amarello earned third on an 8.73 mark, underscoring the high quality of classic Rubik's Cube solving in the region.

Beyond the standard puzzle, Liu demonstrated unmatched versatility across the event roster. He tackled the massive 7x7x7 Cube with a first-place average of 2:54.54, finishing well ahead of Louis Truong at 3:26.47 and Chai at 3:48.25. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Liu struck gold again with a 1:51.70 average, leading Chai at 2:07.89 and Truong at 2:10.69. Liu also excelled in specialty disciplines, securing top honors in Skewb with a 4.50 average and claiming the Square-1 crown with a 15.59 average.

Even without sight, Liu remained the benchmark of the meet. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, an event demanding pure memorisation and flawless execution under a blindfold, Liu posted the winning single time of 45.09 seconds. Canadian competitor Steven Phang took runner-up honors with a solid 1:46.24 single, while Saisabari Ramesh completed the podium with a 2:12.42 effort. Across six distinct formats, Liu proved entirely unstoppable in Gouverneur.

The remaining two events provided thrilling drama and different winners at this WCA competition. Curtis Chai broke through on the 2x2x2 Cube, blazing to victory with a 1.41 winning average and a single of 1.16. Rémi Chrétien of Canada secured second place averaging 2.21, followed by Ramesh in third at 2.33. Meanwhile, Evan Waters took charge in the Clock event, capturing first place with a 5.19 average over Ramesh at 5.78 and Brandon Brazill at 5.98.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule. Jacob Hughes delivered massive breakthroughs, taking on the 6x6x6 Cube for the first time with a 3:41.85 result, making his 7x7x7 Cube debut in 6:57.45, and dropping his Skewb personal best by 54.8 percent to 3.92 seconds. Joshua Bartholomew took on five events, entering Square-1 for the first time with a 1:13.87 while cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 41.4 percent to 3.75 and improving his 3x3x3 best by 32.2 percent to 12.60. Nicholas D. Burlarley entered all eight events, trying the 6x6x6 Cube for the first time at 4:25.14 and slashing 34.7 percent off his 7x7x7 best down to 6:29.01. Brent Horrocks improved his Square-1 best by 26.2 percent to 23.74 while advancing in Skewb and 3x3x3.

The progress continued across the roster as newer participants made their presence felt on the tables. Quincy Ackman attended their first speed cubing tournament, recording initial official attempts of 1:04.99 in the 3x3x3 Cube and 12.80 in the 2x2x2 Cube. Nolan Burnham recorded his first 2x2x2 Cube result with a 4.37 and cut his Skewb mark by 13 percent to 9.06. Avian Burt entered five events, making first career attempts in Clock at 15.30, Square-1 at 41.09, and 2x2x2 Cube at 6.12. Dagon McCracken improved his Clock personal best by 28.3 percent to 21.58 while taking on four different disciplines.

With 22 podium places earned by United States solvers and two by Canadian contenders, Gouverneur 2024 proved to be an outstanding showcase of regional talent. From lightning-fast 2x2 sprints to grueling big-cube marathons, the cubing competition delivered memorable performances across the board. As the 2024 calendar moves forward, the commanding six-event sweep established a towering standard for future tournaments to match.